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Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD (retired)

Parkinson’s power foods: one-day menus to nourish your brain and body

Recipes & Nutrition

Author: Kathrynne HoldenPublished: 9 August 2017

Prep: -Cook: -Serves: -

In part two of her piece on how to enrich the microbiome and help reduce Parkinson’s symptoms, Kathrynne Holden – our regular guest dietician – looks at nutritious and varied meal plans that are great for the whole body

By assembling meals that are planned to provide nutrients which fight Parkinson’s and support health, you can do something each day to fortify your mind and body.

The one-day menus will help you choose the foods that best nourish your brain, muscles, bones and organs. You don’t need to eat these exact meals, just use them as guidelines.

Menu 1:

For people using levodopa
*NOTE: Take levodopa 30–60 minutes before eating.

*Note: All vegetables and fruits should be fresh, not overripe; meat, poultry and fish should be fresh, not aged or smoked, or else canned or frozen and eaten immediately after opening or thawing. Eggs, cooked dried beans, peas, and small quantities of nuts and peanut butter are safe. Avoid aged cheeses and meats and foods containing meat extracts such as bouillon or beef broth, fermented soy products such as tofu, soy sauce and miso, other fermented foods except for yoghurt, which is safe. Since fermented foods are limited, you may wish to consider a probiotic supplement, such as gelcaps. See also my tyramine booklet for more information.

Choose Parkinson’s-fighting foods; avoid anti-nutrients such as refined grains and sugar, highly-processed foods, and toxic pesticides and herbicides. Eating the best possible foods will support your brain and nervous system, your microbiome, heart, muscles and bones. You will have more energy, feel more alert during the day, and sleep better at night.

About the author

Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD (retired) is author of “Eat Well, Stay Well with Parkinson’s Disease”, “Cook Well, Stay Well with Parkinson’s Disease” and the NPF booklet ‘Nutrition Matters’. See her website at nutritionucanlivewith.com for more Parkinson’s-related nutrition information.

IN THE NEWS

A study published in the ‘Journal of Clinical Investigation’ has suggested mechanisms that lead to Parkinson’s in adulthood, may begin much earlier than previously thought. The study, carried out by Northwestern University, Illinois, US, researched movement disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 by genetically engineering a mouse to mirror the human disease. Researchers found that altering circuity in the cerebellum – an area of the brain that controls movements – set the stage for later susceptibility to neurological disease. Professor Puneet Opal, who worked on the study, said: “This is the first discovery of alterations in an adult-onset spinocerebellar disorder that stems from such early developmental processes. “This may well be generalisable to a whole host of other diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.”

Global Kinetics receives vital funding

Australian-based health company Global Kinetics has received a $AUS 7.75 million investment from the Australian Federal Government’s Biomedical Translation Fund. The investment will be used to commercialise its Parkinson’s KinetiGraph – a smartwatch-style device that continually tracks the involuntary movements of those living with the condition. In addition to the sum from the Australian government, Global Kinetics also announced they are to receive a grant from The Michael J Fox Foundation, Shake It Up Australia Foundation and Parkinson’s Victoria. Mark Frasier, senior vice president of research programmes at The Michael J Fox Foundation, said: “The experience of Parkinson’s varies day-to-day, hour-to-hour. An objective tool, such as the wearable PKG technology, that passively collects data on the experience of Parkinson’s disease could give patients and their doctors greater insight to calibrate treatment plans and improve outcomes.”

Smartphone app detects severity of Parkinson’s symptoms

A smartphone app– created by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Rochester Medical Centre and Aston University – can detect the severity of symptoms in people with Parkinson’s, according to a recent study. The study, which appeared in medical journal ‘JAMA’, found that the HopkinsPD app generated severity score levels which strongly correlated with standard movement tests given by physicians. HopkinsPD is expected to help medical professionals analyse Parkinson’s symptoms. Dr Ray Dorsey, neurologist at the University of Rochester, said: “Until these types of studies, we had very limited data on how people function on Saturdays and Sundays because patients don’t come to the clinic. “We also had very limited data about how people with Parkinson’s do at two o’clock in the morning or 11 o’clock at night because, unless they’re hospitalised, they’re generally not being seen in clinics at those times.”